Improvement in machines for coating pills



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MACHINE F-ORCOA'TING PILLS.v

No.172,7v05. v Patented J'an.25,18v76.

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. Y@ 1 @Maf/@ f UNITED STATES PATENT DEEICE..

WILLIAM N. CLARK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR COATING PILLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. ll72.,705, datedJanuary 25, 1876 application led 4January 7, 1876.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM N. CLARK, of the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented a new and Improved Machine for Coating Pills, ofwhich the following is a specification Figure l represents a verticaltransverse section of my new and improved machine for coating pills onlinee c, Fig. 2; and Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same with thebase or bed portion in section on line w or, Fig. -l.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

My invention relates to a machine for coating pills in a quick andeconomical manner; and it consists of a revolving cylinder with rows ofradial needles so arranged in connection witha movable pill-tray thatthe pills are picked up by the needles by the joint revolving motionofthe cylinder and the forward motion of the tray.

The pills a-re then dipped into the coatingsolution, and, after beingdried, stripped from the needles by sliding clearer-pieces.

In the drawing, A represents a cylinder that is supported on sidestandards B of a base or bed portion, C.

The cylinderA may be readily detached from the standards, to be replacedby another for producing continuous working of the machine.

Each cylinder A isprovided with radial ncedles D, that are securelyattached in any suitable manner to the cylinder, and arranged at equaldistances from each other in rows or otherwise.

Each row or series ot' needles is arranged with a clearer-strip, D',that slides along the needles, being guided by end pins a, and is linedat the face with leather, felt, or other material for the purpose ofreadily stripping the pills from the needles without injuring them onraising the clearers.

Each cylinder A gears by end cog-wheels l F, keyed to its shaft, withtoothed racks F', of

a pill-tray, G, that is guided on the bedpiece C and moved by thegear-wheels in the direction below the needles.

The pill-tray G is provided with a number of indentations or cups, b,that correspond in number and distance with the needles of the cylinder,so that when all the cups or indentations are illed with pills and thetray passed through the bed portion the needles will pierce the pillsand hold them at the end, ready to be dipped in the coating-solution.

A tray or vessel containing the coatingfsolution is placed below theneedle-cylinder and all the pills passed through the solution by onerevolution of the cylinder, which is thenremoved for drying the pills.When the pills are dried they are removed from the needle ends by theclearer-strips and dropped into a suitable receptacle. The pill-tray isthen Acharged again with pills, which are taken up by the needles to bedipped, dried, and cleared in the manner described, producing thus bythis machine a convenient and readilyoperated method ot' coating pillsin a rapid and cheap manner.4

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patentl. Amachine for coating pills, consisting of arevolving cylinder having radial needles in connection with a slidingpill-tray provided with indentations or cups corresponding with theneedles for picking up the pills ready for dipping them in thecoating-solution, snbstantially as specified.

2. The combination of the revolving cylinder having rows of radialneedles and radiallysliding clearer-pieces or strippers for removing thepills after they are dried, substantially as specified.

WILLIAM N. CLARK.

Witnesses:

PAUL GOEPEL, T. B. MosHEE.

